Govt denies external pressure over IPP deals

While denying any external pressure during negotiations with the Independent Power Producers (IPPs), Power Secretary Fakhar Alam Irfan told the National Assembly Standing Committee on Power on Wednesday that violations by IPPs had been identified. Committee chair Muhammad Idrees expressed concern over the poor performance of Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lescoo) and asked to strengthen its accountability system to penalise culprits to overcome electricity theft. The committee also expressed concerns about imposing 7.8 million extra units on the consumers of District Kasur on the presumption of theft. A four-member Sub-Committee headed by Rana Muhammad Hayat Khan had been formed to probe into the matter and submit its report within 30 days.